Tag Archives: cell broadcast

the world’s leading Wireless Broadcast company, has been selected by New Zealand’s Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) to deploy a national Wireless Emergency Alert system. The system will enable government agencies to warn at-risk communities of critical adverse events and threats to life, health and property by sending emergency alerts to their mobile phones. The cloud-based service will be fully managed by one2many for up to 12 years.

To enable the system, one2many has delivered its new Public Warning Portal cloud service to MCDEM: a mobile alert creation and management system that emergency management personnel can use to generate public warnings. The Public Warning Portal also enables automatic alert generation, which can enable alerts to be swiftly issued for emergencies such as tsunamis or earthquakes. The open architecture of the Portal means that MCDEM will in the future be able to integrate any additional emergency alert channels, such as social media, TV and radio, without comprising its reliability or requiring changes to the system.

As part of the deployment, one2many also delivered its Cell Broadcast Systems in the private cloud of New Zealand’s mobile operators’ networks: Spark, Vodafone NZ and 2degrees. one2many’s software securely interfaces with MCDEM’s public cloud-based Public Warning Portal to enable the broadcast of emergency alerts to all 3G and 4G mobile subscribers within the location of an emergency. Crucially, people do not need to download an app on their mobile phone or subscribe to a service. If their phone is on, capable of receiving the alert and inside the target area then they should receive the alert.

David Coetzee, Manager, Capability & Operations at New Zealand’s Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, commented: “In a country where emergencies such as natural disasters are all too common, it’s essential we have multiple robust and reliable means of alerting the public to threats. one2many met all our stringent demands for this contract and are delivering a managed cloud service that’s easy-to-use, secure and comprehensive. Importantly, one2many proved they could meet our exceptionally short delivery timeframe. We’re very happy that the system launched successfully last November 26, and will help us and other agencies to continue to improve the safety of our communities.”

Maarten Mes, managing director of one2many, commented: “one2many is currently the only company in the world able to provide a best-in-class, end-to-end wireless emergency alert solution. Our innovative cloud-based technology, which has been developed by in-house engineers, draws on decades of emergency alert experience to deliver governments and mobile operators with a reliable, secure and geo-targeted means of protecting their citizens. This significant implementation in New Zealand highlights our leadership in this domain and we are proud to have delivered this important project for the country within the tight timelines.”

“A range of alerting methods were assessed before cell broadcast was chosen but this system gives the best combination of reach and reliability in New Zealand’s conditions.

“It will get information about an emergency to at-risk communities faster and more reliably than ever before. Plus, cell broadcast technology is not vulnerable to network overloading, so even when the networks get busy after a disaster, alerts can still be sent quickly.

“The system is well established elsewhere in the world in counties such as the US, Japan, Israel, Chile, the Netherlands and Taiwan.

“Countries including Canada, Peru, the UAE and the Philippines are in the process of implementing cell broadcast alerting.

“The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and the three mobile network operators – 2degrees, Vodafone and Spark – are working together to enable cell broadcast technology in New Zealand for the first time.

“The Ministry is working alongside the Fire Service, Police, Ministry of Health and Ministry for Primary Industries to develop a system that will work for the whole of government.

“Cell broadcast alerts don’t replace the need for people to pay attention to natural warnings, which is particularly important in the case of earthquakes and potential tsunamis,” Mr Brownlee says.

World Tsunami Awareness Day on Sunday 5 November is a chance for all of us to find out more about tsunami and how to prepare for them, Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi says.

“Today I have been visiting Seatoun School who have demonstrated use of their tsunami evacuation steps. Seatoun School recognised their tsunami risk and installed steps for their students and wider community so that everyone can evacuate to higher ground.

“All of New Zealand’s coast line is at risk of tsunami.”

“For most of us that means we live near, or visit, places that are at risk and we need to know the right action to take. For a local source tsunami, which could arrive in minutes, there won’t be time for an official warning. It is important to recognise the natural warning signs and act quickly.”

“If you are at the coast and experience any of the following:
• Feel a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand up, or a long earthquake that lasts a minute or more
• See a sudden rise or fall in sea level
• Hear loud and unusual noises from the sea.

“Move immediately to the nearest high ground, or as far inland as you can.”

“World Tsunami Awareness Day is a chance for all New Zealanders to learn more about the tsunami risk in our regions, know how to prepare for them and update our plans to keep our families safe.”

“It’s important to stay informed if there is an emergency. Know which radio stations to listen to, which websites and social media to follow, get to know your neighbours, and check whether your phone can receive Emergency Mobile Alerts.”

“It’s great to see that a new nationwide emergency alert channel is being implemented to complement the existing channels to stay informed. A live nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system will be held on 26 November 2017 to test the system.”

Emergency Mobile Alert messages are sent using cell broadcast technology, so there is no need to sign up or download an app, and can be targeted to affected areas, so you will only get it if the emergency is in your area.

The alert messages can only be sent by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups, NZ Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Primary Industries.

You can find out whether your phone can receive the alerts at www.civildefence.govt.nz. Make sure your phone is on the most up to date operating system.

In a distant or regional tsunami there may be time to send an alert.

For local source tsunami, there may not be time to send an alert so it is important to recognise the natural warnings – ‘Long or Strong, Get Gone’.

Emergency Mobile Alert is an additional channel to help keep people safe in an emergency. It does not replace other emergency alerts. If you feel your life is in danger, don’t wait for an official warning. Take immediate action.

Celltick’s Cell Broadcast Center (CBC) has been deployed by three mobile operators in Taiwan to deliver emergency warning alerts on 4G, 3G and 2G networks

San Francisco, Calif., – September 19, 2017 – Celltick, a global leader in mobile discovery and engagement products, announced today that its Cell Broadcast Center (CBC) platform for mobile mass alert has been adopted and deployed by 3 out of the 5 mobile operators in Taiwan – Taiwan Mobile, Taiwan Star and APT. Celltick’s CBC enables real-time and location-based warning messages in the event of emergencies, to Taiwan’s citizens.

Cell Broadcast (CB) technology allows for time-sensitive content on mobile devices, based on the device’s location. It provides proven capabilities to deliver CMAS emergency messages to cell phones in an affected area, regardless of the size of the area or the subscriber’s service provider. As cell broadcast is not limited by traffic loads, the system operates during disaster, when load spikes may jam the mobile networks. This capability ensures the delivery of messages to hundreds of millions of people at the time of need.

Equipped with advanced APIs for connecting to any kind of network as well as cell broadcast entities (CBE), Celltick’s technology enables federal and/or state authorities to send out urgent warnings, updates, and instructions in times of crisis, such as terror attacks, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Messages can be sent to an entire city, county, region or state-wide even if the mobile network is jammed. The CBC also supports Active-Active fail-safe configuration to guarantee continuous functionality even in cases of equipment failure.

Cell Broadcast has been adopted worldwide as a next-generation wireless Public Warning System (PWS). Celltick’s CBC supports all advanced standards including CMAS, EMTEL, EU-Alert, and ETWS and therefore is ideal for service providers worldwide.

For Governments around the world, looking for an integrated cellular communication system, Celltick offers as a CBE its Alert Aggregator platform, to manage emergency events. The Alert Aggregator connects to all mobile operators’ CBCs in the country, and allows professional event management in a national/regional level.

“We’re seeing an increased demand, by governments worldwide, to facilitate Emergency Mass Alert systems to benefit and protect their citizens,” said Ronen Daniel, CEO of Celltick. “Taiwan is at serious risk of many categories of hazards including extreme weather, epidemics, geological disasters and warfare, hence they need to have the best-of-breed emergency notifications system. Celltick’s in-depth knowledge and experience in delivering dozens of similar projects assured a swift deployment, meeting all requirements.”

The CompuLert™NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Platform extends the capability of American Signal Corporations’ industry leading mass notification platform and provides cellular based mass notification capabilities. By implementing the 3GPP standards and as published by the governing organizations; the NEXGen Cell Broadcast Platform takes full advantage of the Commercial Mobile Alert System abilities. NEXGen™ Cellular Broadcast Platform leverages the mobile network service provider’s infrastructure, and the pervasive availability of end user cellular phone handsets, to deliver emergency information to targeted populations in a broadcast format.

There is no single method capable of providing 100% notification to the public in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. American Signal Corporation recognizes that an emergency communications system that utilizes every available channel to reach the public provides the greatest opportunity to save lives during an emergency and assist during recovery efforts after. CompuLert™ NEXGen™ is the only true multi-threat detection multi-channel mass notification system.

The CompuLert™ NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Platform is implemented via the CompuLert™ NEXGen™ Platform configurations and additional NEXGen™ software modules. These software modules can be implemented independently on physical, or virtual, servers or collectively on a single physical, or virtual, server instance providing unparalleled scalability, availability, and fault tolerance.

CompuLet™ NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Platform components:

NEXGen™ Intelligent Alerting Server

The NEXGen™ Intelligent Alerting Server™ (IAS) is the mass notification systems server built to provide industry leading scalability and compatibility with diverse systems. The NEXGen™ IAS provides an intuitive user interface for emergency personnel and managers to define target populations using polygon, and other map tools, over dynamic map sources as well as selection of predefined groups and even the ability to create dynamic groups that are not referenced geographically. The NEXGen™ IAS also provides interfaces for communicating with numerous types of additional mass notification systems.

The NEXGen™ IAS has the ability to also interface with numerous threat detection devices such as flood and rain sensors, wind sensors, CAP feeds, chemical and radiation detection and more. The NEXGen™ IAS is the only true multi-threat detection multi-channel mass notification server available.

NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Entity

The NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE) interfaces with the Intelligent Alerting Server to receive data about the target population and the emergency message details. The NEXGen™ CBE provides data a message formatting for transmission to the Cell Broadcast Center. The NEXGen™ CBE and Intelligent Alerting Server are separate software modules. This architecture is advantageous in that it allows the NEXGen™ IAS to operate independently of the CBE should the client desire to monitor of control other systems without creating an overly complex CBE implementation.

NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Center Server Interface

In addition to the NEXGen™ Core, the Cell Broadcast Center Interface Server module provides an interface to the NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Entity. The NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Center Interface Server manages transmission of the CMAS messages to the service providers over the appropriate 3GPP technical standards as indicated in the CMAS Database. The modular architecture of the CompuLert™ NEXGen™ platform and the Cell Broadcast Center Interface Server provides scalability and simplifies the addition of new standards and technologies for the future. As networks are upgraded and new technologies are developed and implemented, new communications modules are created and can be added to the system while the system is in operation through the OSGI/NEXGen™ management console. The Cell Broadcast Center Interface Server receives the nightly updates from the service providers, validates the data, and updates the CMAS system database.

MILWAUKEE, July 26, 2017 — In the wake of recent, deadly flash flooding in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, American Signal Corporation (ASC) is announcing the complete integration of its NEXGen™ threat detection systems with the CompuLert™ NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Platform.

The system, which leverages cellular service provider coverage to broadcast emergency information to targeted populations, is now fully-integrated with the company’s CompuLert™ NEXGen™ Intelligent Alerting Server. Integration of these industry-leading technologies extends the NEXGen™ platform’s reach and unifies threat-detection and multi-channel mass notification into a single system.

The system interfaces with numerous threat detection devices, such as flood, rain and wind sensors, CAP feeds, chemical and radiation detectors, and more. Threats are processed in real time and disseminated to at-risk populations quickly and effectively. Notifications can encompass both indoor and outdoor alerts, including via voice and tone systems, digital message boards and signage, strobes and more. Local-area recipients can also receive smartphone alerts in the form of a general public emergency notification.

“People are asking how the fatalities in Arizona could have been avoided or what could’ve been done to prevent loss of life. The best-case scenario starts with better alerting protocols,” said Richard Roe, Executive Vice President, American Signal Corporation. “Our systems leverage numerous threat detection and mass notification tools in a fault-tolerant infrastructure, to make sure life-saving messages get to the people who need to see them. Our mission is to save lives every day. That mission helps form all of the solution we bring to market.”

The NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Platform is the integration of the CompuLert™ NEXGen™ Intelligent Alerting Server™, NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Entity and NEXGen™ Cell Broadcast Center Interface Server, implemented in compliance with 3GPP cellular network standards. This end-to-end system expedites threat detection awareness and mass notification lead times, delivering potentially life-saving information before an emergency, as well as recovery information throughout an event.

American Signal Corporation (ASC) is a leading designer and manufacturer of mass notification solutions for a wide variety of applications worldwide.The company combines advanced engineering, innovative software and state-of-the-art equipment with an extraordinary record of longevity and expertise in the field, to develop and install compliant, versatile and effective notification systems.